


Odessen

by Elveny



Series: Feels like Destiny [5]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-09
Packaged: 2018-08-29 05:19:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8476882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elveny/pseuds/Elveny
Summary: Odessen proves to be a surprise in more than one way.





	1. Arriving on Odessen

Most had a hard time understanding how her losing a fight with Arcann (despite surviving it) could bring on a certain warmth in her eyes and smile and a determination that hadn’t been there before. Some thought her increased drive as a need for revenge, some thought it was the strength of the Force on Odessen that empowered her. Nobody guessed at the truth but despite that, nobody was surprised that her strength faded quickly after it had carried her through the first few weeks of building the Alliance.

Jiune had thought she could continue like she had the last weeks after being awakened from her carbonite slumber but when she had acknowledged the coldness and pain she had overestimated her own strength. They had just completed the major platform and she had been part of the crew that helped Force-blast the entries to what would become the cantina.

“Alright, that’s it for the day”, the foreman called and Jiune even managed to smile to the others before she made her way around the corner and collapsed.

It had been one of those days where she had been struggling with dizziness on and off. She’d had them before but she always managed to overcome them with meditations and medication. But when she let herself sink to the ground today, thankful for the coolness of the stone beneath her hand and back, she knew she wouldn’t be able to get up even if she used the stim she had always at hand. She let her head sink back and for a moment, she even worried when she found she didn’t even have the focus to come into a meditative state.

“Well. I wondered when it would come to that.”

Jiune opened her eyes and it took her a second to get the person in front of her into focus.

“Koth?” she asked weakly.

The man unfolded his arms and knelt down before her.

“Seriously. Are you trying to kill yourself? After you survived Arcann?”

Jiune blinked. “It’s nothing. I just need to…” she started and tried to get up but he cut her short.

“You need to heal. Give yourself a break, woman.”

He shook his head and without further ado picked her up, carrying her as if she didn’t weigh more than a feather.

“Come on. You’re off building duty. Off any duty, in fact.”

And for once she was content to just let someone else make the decisions.

She spent the next few days in a kolto tank, only pieces of a heated discussion piercing into her med-induced sleep.

“You should have told me!”

“You should have seen it yourself!”

“I was kind of busy!”

“So was she! And it nearly killed her!”

“Shh. You’re waking her.”

Lana’s face above her, more worried than when she woke her from carbonite if that was possible, Koth in the background.

“Sleep”, her friend said. “Heal”, and she drifted back into the darkness.

When the doctors finally let her out of med bay, she still was confined to her small quarters. But for once, she was grateful that nobody expected her to go out and fight or decide or wear the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders. With her physical wounds healed, she could concentrate on healing the ones in her soul. She came back to meditating and searching for who she was - but even more than that, she spent her weeks mostly asleep. Not unconscious but truly asleep, which was new. And with the sleep, the dreams came back.

Dreams full of fights and pain and loss.

More often than not she woke with tears on her face and more tired than when she had fallen asleep. But she also knew that this path was necessary if she wanted to be able to use the fire that had melted the cold within her. And slowly, ever so slowly, her dreams seized to be only nightmares. The day came when she was more awake than asleep and she started venturing outside again.

First, it was only to meditate in the open air or take strolls with Lana or Koth and sometimes even Senya, who all updated her on what was going on. She made a point of visiting the building sites and soon, Jiune discovered that she _wanted_ to be included again. Her appearance was good for morale it seemed - not only those of the people working or the Alliance but for her own. She loved to talk to the people working (and now living) here, hearing stories, catching up on the events of the last five years. It reminded her why they did what they did. Valkorion made his appearance now and again but it seemed to her that it was less often than before, which gave her hope.

He had not once managed to overtake or control her despite his clear desire to. She had talked to Lana about it and they suspected that his power wasn’t as big as he wanted to make her think - or maybe even as big as he himself thought it to be - and that he needed her to agree to it. Which was something she would never do.

The day came when she woke up rested and feeling really for the first time in… well, probably a little bit more than five years, that she knew she was finally able to take up her swords again. She spent the day with her squad, digging into reports and the latest updates. She was passing over the main platform, coming from a break in the cantina and reading an update on the status of the civilian population on Odessen they had gathered when a ship docked. This was nothing unusual per se but something made Jiune look up just as she passed and when she saw who came out of the ship, she stopped short and nearly dropped her datapad.

It was Theron.


	2. Theron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five years is a long time

It was as if the world stopped spinning for a moment. Jiune hadn’t expected him and seeing him walk towards her as if it was the most normal thing in the world was mind-blowing. Theron still had the same effect on her as always. The familiar flutter in the stomach, weak knees, flushed cheeks - but he looked weary and she waited in vain for the familiar smile as he approached her. It took her a second to remember that she had been gone more than five years for him. Longer than they had known each other and way longer than they had been… more than friends.

“Like what you’ve done with the place”, he said with a business-like nod when he stood before her. Jiune swallowed and forced herself to respond in a similar fashion.

“Theron Shan.”

Something in his eyes shifted and he actually looked relieved for a second before resuming his formality.

“Haven’t seen you in a while. Wasn’t sure you’d remember me.”

Jiune didn’t know what to say. How could he think she’d forget him? After what they had shared, experienced together? But she recognized the sincerity in his voice. He actually hadn’t been sure about her. Not at all.

She smiled softly, cautiously. “It’s great to see you again, Theron”, she said, meaning every word. Still, he didn’t return her smile but instead, he looked torn.

“Good”, he said. “Wasn’t sure, based on what Lana said you went through. What you’re going through.” For the first time, an open, unmasked emotion showed on his face, if only for a second: true concern and pain. Just for a moment, Jiune thought he would reach for her but the moment went and his eyes got guarded again as he walked towards the railing to look out over the valley.

Jiune swallowed. This was harder than expected. Or was it? There was a reason she had refused to think about him and this situation for so long. And she knew that this probably was hard for him, too. If his letter was any indication - even if it might be years old and it’s content no longer relevant - she had at one point meant something to him. He had thought her to be dead, then worked towards her rescue and couldn’t even be there when she woke up… Or maybe didn’t want to anymore. Which would also explain his cautiousness. The thought made her heart clench.

She raised her chin. No, she wouldn’t give up now. Not before she didn’t know for certain there was no place for them anymore. She followed him to stand next to him and for a few long moments, they were both silent. Their hands were on the railing, next to each other but not touching, even though Jiune badly wanted to.

Theron was the one to break the silence. ”Been a long five years. Feels like everything’s changed.” There was an unasked question in there but she couldn’t quite determine what it truly meant. Still, she took the chance. _Where did one start after five years?_ Maybe it didn’t matter as long as they _did_ start.

She gave him a sidelong glance and a smile. “You got better looking”, she teased, testing familiar ground. It wasn’t what he had expected to hear, that much was clear. He blinked, unsure.

“I don’t know about that but hey, I’ll take it.”

And suddenly, it was there: a slow smile, spreading from his eyes to his lips that for a second lit up his whole face, before he cleared his throat and looked out to the valley once more.

“Since I left the SIS, Lana’s brought me in to manage operations. But before we get into the more-or-less official stuff, I’ve got something for you.”  
Jiune instinctively stood taller. She knew it wasn’t something personal connecting the two of them or Theron wouldn’t have mentioned it in public, but… A hopeful thought struck her:  
“You found my people.”  
But one look at him told her that wasn’t it even before he did.  
“No luck so far. But…” He gave a signal via comlink and suddenly there was Tora’s voice: “Needs work. A lot of work!”

And there she was: the Defender. Her ship. The ugly, wonderful place that had been her home more than any other place apart from Tython. Jiune felt her throat close with wild joy and emotion up as she saw her set down, a radiant smile spreading over her face. She hadn’t even realized she missed it but now that she saw it… He had brought her something from her life before - and not just anything, the one thing where she had been home. She didn’t realize Theron watched her.

After a moment, he cleared his throat again:  
“When you have a moment, it’s time for that official stuff. I’ll be inside.”  
He was gone before she even had the chance to thank him.

—

When Jiune came down not much later, they were discussing tactics: “Don’t look at me. I’ve snuck into some crazy places but stations like these are another deal altogether”, an unknown Mirialan woman said.

Theron saw Jiune approaching and pushed himself upright: “Alright, we’ll table it for now. We’ve got company.”

“Need some help?”, Jiune asked when she reached them and saw a knowing half-smile on Theron’s lips that told her he had expected such a question from her.

“With Arcann’s battle stations? We will - soon as we understand them. We’re building a healthy alliance but it’s not enough. The Core Worlds are still under the threat of Arcann’s considerable reach. I’ve assembled a team of specialists to help tackle the big questions and find potential recruits.”

A round of introductions and reunions followed. Jiune was truly delighted to meet the Admiral and Dr. Oggurobb again, despite the Hutt’s desire to “examine” her.

“Hello, all of you. And no, Doctor, you can’t experiment on my brain”, she said with an amused look in his direction.

Dr. Oggurobb sighed. “A pity. Perhaps another time. If I may be so bold, I would ask a favour of you. I have my trained eye on a promising recruit. A Gand of all creatures. If you’d like to go over the details, you may find me in my splendid new laboratory.”

She gave him a nod, indicating that she would come see him later.

Theron waited a second to see if anyone wanted to add anything, then he asked: “So, that’s the team. Any questions?”

It was directed at her but Jiune looked at the others. Nobody seemed to want to ask her anything and she nodded at everyone before her eyes went back to Theron. The scene had something very familiar - working again with him, planning and familiarizing themselves with the tasks at hand. But it was hard to forget that something had very much shifted and it felt wrong to just glaze over that.

“What do I have to do to find out what you’ve been up to all these years?” she asked, a nervous flutter in her stomach, and he blinked surprised, clearly not having expected such a question. But the smile he gave her was warm.

“We’ll get a chance to talk. Soon.”

—

Jiune hadn’t even quite left the war room when Lana caught her.  
“And?”, the Sith asked excitedly as soon as they were out of earshot and Jiune shrugged.  
“They seem competent. Or rather _are_ competent if you two brought them in.”

Lana made a dismissive gesture. “Not our people. You and Theron?”  
Jiune stopped short and turned to face Lana, a disbelieving look on her face. “You knew?!”  
“Tsk, please. Of course I knew. Wait - what did you mean? If I knew that he was coming or that you two were hitting it off back when we worked together?”  
“I… well… the latter”, Jiune admitted. Theron had told her that he and Lana were in contact, so it just stood to reason that she had known he was coming.  
“Please”, Lana said again, giving Jiune a look. “Did you think I would work with two Republic agents respectively Jedi without knowing everything I can about them?”  
“But…”, Jiune sputtered and Lana grinned.  
“Yes, I know you only… how to put it… actually acted on your feelings after the whole thing was over and done with but I like to keep tabs on people.”  
Jiune spread her hands helplessly before she shrugged, sighed and said: “Ah well. Why am I even surprised, seriously. I should’ve known after everything Darth Nox always knew.”

This time it was Lana’s turn to sputter: “You - you know the former Darth Nox?!”  
Jiune grinned. “Looks like you didn’t know everything about me after all.”  
Lana stared at her, started to say something but then just shook her head. “Back to my question: You and Theron?!”

Jiune’s grin vanished. “What would you like me to say? It’s been five years, so… nothing so far. We didn’t really have a chance to, you know, talk.”  
Lana shook her head. “That man, seriously. I expected him to… Ugh. Well. If Mister I’m So Professional That I Cannot Take Five Minutes After Arriving To Have The Most Important Conversation Of The Last Five Years won’t do anything, you have to.”

Jiune was sincerely touched and smiled. “I planned to. It’s just - I really don’t want to push him. It’s been so much longer for him than for me. And five years is a long time.”

Lana’s face got dark. “Tell me about it.” But she immediately lit up again: “However, you haven’t seen him these years. I have. And believe me: you have to talk. At least talk.”

She looked at Jiune, both eyebrows raised. “Promise!”

Jiune shook her head but laughed nonetheless. “I promise. Soon.”


	3. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long-hoped-for talk.

‘Soon’ didn’t come until the evening, however, and therefore not until the official party. Jiune had been informed of the gathering but rather as an aside - probably due to her long absence. She didn’t blame them. In their place, she wouldn’t have known either if she wanted to be invited or not. But even without Theron there she would have gone. She really wanted to reclaim her life and that meant pleasure alongside business and more so, it meant spending time with the people in the Alliance. Still, she earned some curious and surprised looks when she walked into the cantina. It took her a while to get to the bar where Lana, Koth and Theron stood, because several people took the chance to invite her to a drink or exchange a few words.  
Jiune saw Theron pack away a datapad just before she reached them and couldn’t help but smile. He still didn’t know when to stop working. Apparently, not everything had changed over the last five years.  
“Hey, look who it is! Don’t worry, we didn’t really start without you”, he said.  
Jiune looked pointedly over to an already drunk group and Theron had the grace to look abashed which she found adorable. Lana came to his help.  
“Yes, we’ve only just begun. I wasn’t sure you’d attend!”  
Jiune raised an eyebrow and then deliberately her glass. “A chance to unwind after what we’ve been through is exactly what we need.”  
Koth clinked glasses with her, an approving grin on his face. “You are exactly correct. Now get this guy to cheer up.” He looked pointedly at Theron and Jiune cocked her head, a suggesting smirk spreading over her face, emboldened by the drink in her hand, which in turn seemed to unnerve Theron somewhat. He cleared his throat.  
“I am reasonably cheery. I’m joining in. And now, you are too.” That was forced cheeriness if ever she heard it.  
Lana shot Jiune a look behind Theron’s back, gesturing and nodding vigorously. Jiune took a breath. “I was hoping to have a talk with one of you, first.”  
“Yeah? Who’d you have in mind?”, Theron asked and Lana rolled her eyes behind his back. It looked like she barely kept herself from slapping her forehead and Koth grinned in his glass. Jiune did her best to ignore them. Even if they seemed to be sure about what would happen here, she certainly wasn’t.  
“Come on, Theron. Let’s catch up”, she suggested softly.  
He seemed as calm as she was nervous when he said: “You got it.”  
Lana gave Jiune an encouraging nod and just before she turned around she saw how Lana and Koth high-fived. Jiune shook her head but she was touched nonetheless by her friend’s support.

For a while they walked in silence, side by side. Jiune had started to bite her lip as nervous flutter in her stomach refused to stop. She wasn’t sure how to start and he seemed okay with not talking. When they reached the platform, leaving the noise and the warmth of the cantina behind, she finally looked up at him, surprised to find him watching her with a small smile.  
“You didn’t do that before”, he said and she blinked.  
“Do what?”  
“Bite your lip.”  
“Oh”, she said with a little laugh. “True. I’m a bit nervous, to be honest.”  
Theron’s smile widened and for a second, she got lost in his eyes. “So am I. Well. What do you want to know?”  
Jiune spread her arms. “Everything. What did you do these last years? How did you and Lana start working together? Who were you with?”  
Theron laughed. “Wow, okay. Good that the night only started.”

They wandered aimlessly through Odessen’s night while Theron talked about the events after her and Darth Marr’s disappearance. Much of what he said about the Eternal Empire’s attacks she already knew from Lana’s reports but it still was very different hearing it from a Republic perspective.

“You know, after you vanished I kept waiting to hear from you. Kind of stupidly refused to even think about an alternative, no matter what the people said who had escaped the first attack”, he said when they were on their slow way back towards the base. “And then, just when Zakuul had the Senate under their control, Lana contacted me, saying she found you. No idea where she got her information while I still barely got anything out from behind enemy lines, but it didn’t matter. Been working with her again ever since.”  
Jiune looked at him. The longer they had walked, the more he had opened up but his face was back to carefully neutral. They still hadn’t talked about the two of them.  
“So there was nobody… special in all those years?” she asked cautiously, her heart in her throat.  
Theron didn’t look at her as he shook his head.  
“No.” He cleared his throat, carefully keeping his eyes on the ground as they walked, before he said: “You never answered my letter.”  
Now it was Jiune’s turn to look to the ground. “I know. I was… not well.”   
“It’s alright. I understand”, he said quickly but something in his voice made Jiune stop. “Theron…”  
He made a quick gesture. “You don’t have to explain, seriously”, he said but she shook her head.  
“But I do”, she said urgently. He looked at her and when he saw the plea in her eyes, he nodded but the composed neutrality in his face was back. Jiune bit her lip again, searching for words.  
“I was… when I got your letter I was barely keeping it together. The fact that I had lost five years, just like that, plus the carbonite poisoning and everything I knew was just… gone and changed…”  
Remembering that time was painful and for a second she closed her eyes, to find him watching her sadly as she opened them again.  
“There was no date on your letter, nothing to indicate when you had written it or from where”, she continued quietly. “And at the time, dealing with the possibility that it was years old and what you wrote no longer true was too much. For all I knew you could have been married with kids by then while I felt like our time on Coruscant was just a few weeks ago and I was still very much in love with you. I wouldn’t think about it for it meant facing this new reality and I couldn’t. Not yet. So I… shut down and just functioned. Then there was Arcann’s attack on Asylum and I got wounded again and was out of it for a few days and then we were here and then I… no longer functioned. The last few weeks I was…”  
She was at a loss for words.  
“I know. Lana told me”, Theron finally said very quietly and she nodded.  
“I’m sorry, Theron. I should have answered and I wanted to, many times, I just didn’t know how to ask if you had gotten over me… us… or…”  
Her voice got lost and she didn’t dare look at him. The night wind swept over them, making her robes flutter softly.

For a few moments neither of them said anything.  
“I haven’t”, Theron said finally, a softness in his voice. Jiune looked up and a short smile flickered over his face.  
“Thought I did, several times in fact. When you were declared dead. When it looked like we wouldn’t ever get you out of there, when I didn’t hear from you even after Lana thawed you and you were on your way to safety. I came here thinking I was over you. Us.”  
He had put his hands on his hips, like he so often did when he didn’t know what to do with them.  
“And then you were standing there on the platform, looking just like I remembered you, looking at me like… yeah. And I realized I wasn’t. Really wasn’t.”  
Jiune felt like her heart was only now truly melting, relief and joy washing over her in a warm shower as his words registered.

But before any of them could do anything, a couple came stumbling around the next corner towards them giggling arm in arm, obviously slightly drunk.  
“Oh, sorry, didn’t know someone was up here”, one of the men said as they came to a halt.  
“Yeah, sorry”, the other one said and they started giggling again, continuing on their way between Theron and Jiune.

Theron grinned when they were past and nodded towards the base.  
“Come on”, he said.  
They took up their stories from what happened to them, but with a lighter and more familiar, warm tone, as they made their way back towards the base and Jiune steered them instinctively towards her quarters, not yet ready for the others’ company.

“… with the way everything changed, the SIS didn’t feel right for me anymore, so I walked away”, Theron said as they entered the small space that served as her living and meditation room. “Kept up with my contacts, pretty much did what I was already doing, just not for the Republic. Not for anything. Against Zakuul.”  
Jiune turned towards him, taking off the cloak she had put on for their walk. “Were you able to make any headway?”  
Theron shrugged. “I have found sympathetic Zakuulans, but not many. A lot of folks moved out here from the Core Worlds. I’m having better luck recruiting them, but they’re also under suspicion of being dissidents. And I guess Lana filled you in on the rest.”  
He made a small step towards her, nearly involuntary.  
“Want you to know, I’ll do everything I can to keep things running smoothly around here”, he said. But despite what he said, his tone had lost his official touch.  
Jiune cocked her head, a happy, excited tingle in her stomach. She still hadn’t quite caught up with what he had said on the cliff. Did it really mean what she thought it meant?  
“So you’ll take care of anyone who needs you?” she asked teasingly, closing the distance between them. Theron carefully took her hand. It was the first time they touched since he had arrived and she felt her heart speed up, a warm shiver running over her as their fingers intertwined.   
“Not just anyone”, Theron said. Then his eyes got very serious. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to thaw you out”, he said quietly and she knew he meant it. Jiune nodded and lightly squeezed his hand to show him she understood.  
“Look at all you’ve accomplished. Everyone who chose to rally behind you. I haven’t been one of those ‘destiny’ people in a long time, but this? Sure feels like it.”  
Jiune smiled. “If you mean being here with you, I agree”, she said and when he returned the smile, it was easy to forget that there were five years between them. As their lips met, every worry she had had disappeared, so full of longing was his kiss.

The last times they had been together, it had been feverish and passionate from the very beginning. This was different. For a long while, the kiss was enough, sweet caresses of lips and tongue, breath and touch.   
They took their time, whispering sweet nothings to each other and slowly rediscovering every inch of skin they bared. His hands softly touched the huge, thick scar Arcann’s lightsaber had left just barely beneath her heart. A dark emotion flickered over his face then softened as he kissed it.  
“Try not to nearly-die on me again, okay?” he said and Jiune nodded.  
“I’ll do my best”, she whispered, her fingertips running over the many and mostly small scars on his body, trying to discern which ones were new. “You could come with me to make sure, now and then.”  
“I like this plan”, he grinned and kissed her, pulling her close to him as if to make sure she really was there.

Their lovemaking was slow and intense, both physically and emotionally. He brought her over the brink once with hands and tongue, holding her as she shuddered her release against his fingers, never taking his eyes off her as she threw her head back. And then he was moving within her, even before she was finished and her fingers curled into his back when she barely muffled a cry in his neck as she kept coming. The small sound he made as she twitched against him was new to her but suddenly the realization that they still had so much to learn about each other just added to the pleasure and joy of the moment. Because this time, they wouldn’t have to part for weeks in the morning. Now, they had time. The thought made her giddy but just as quickly as it came, it shattered in the overwhelming pleasure of feeling him move and she arched against him. He picked up pace, stealing a desperate kiss from her lips even as she drew him closer, deeper, words lost in the rhythm of their breath. There was urgency now in their movements, fingers buried in hair, deep, meaningless sounds against her throat as he thrust his release deep inside her.

They held onto each other as their breathing slowed. Jiune pressed small kisses on his neck and shoulder and he sighed happily.  
“That was… different”, he said and she laughed.  
“In a good way, I hope?” she asked and he grinned.  
“Oh, definitely.”

For a while, they were content just to lay there, intertwined, feeling each other.  
“Will you stay with me?” Jiune asked finally, listening to Theron’s heartbeat.  
Theron sounded amused even as his fingers continued to detangle her hair. “I hadn’t planned on leaving Odessen so soon after I just arrived.”  
“That’s not what I meant”, she said, looking up, searching his eyes. “I meant here. In my quarters. I’ll probably be gone quite often and… I really would love knowing you were here when I’m coming home. Plus, we have five years to catch up on.”  
A smile tucked at the corner of his mouth and he seemed touched. “Alright”, he said finally.

They decided to go back to the party after a while, for neither of them could think of sleep. Jiune felt ridiculously happy and energized, despite the lack of sleep. Just before they entered the cantina, Theron asked, as if just struck by a thought:  
“Did you say you are in love with me?”  
Jiune grew still for a second before she admitted: “Yes.”  
He smiled and nodded and very shortly touched her hand. “Good.”  
Then he called over to Lana and Koth who were still at the bar: “Looks like things are winding down.”  
Jiune shook her head, smiling to herself and followed him.


	4. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After arriving on Odessen and reuniting with Theron, Jiune settles in.

For the next few weeks, Jiune dared to relax. Finally feeling her full strength again, she concentrated on familiarizing herself with what was to do and who was with her and started to run missions, mostly recruiting people or securing artefacts and useful this and thats which would be helpful for her Alliance.

She couldn’t really pinpoint the exact time or date, but at one point she started to look forward for the view of Odessen’s huge oceans through her ship’s viewer. The star constellations became familiar and she realized that even the occasional trips to Zakuul did no longer bother, even less frighten her. Odessen’s air smelled like forests and sage and sometimes, when the direction of the wind was right, faintly like the salty oceans. 

It was the way people greeted her when she came out of her quarters in the morning: the easy smiles or curt nods when she was on the way to the war room. A “Good morning, Commander” that spoke of respect and familiarity or a yelled and casual “Hey Commander” from someone of Koth’s crew (or some of Hylo’s smugglers), mostly combined with a toothy grin. It was a quick shared minute while she drank her tea out in the open with one of the guards who told her of how her daughter just took her first steps.

It was the warm familiarity of the Jedi she trained and meditated with and after a while even the cautiousness of the Sith changed to a respectful cooperation. Her willingness to meditate and train with them as well was first seen as weird but they soon understood that she actually wanted to make this work. Often, she took Lana with her to show them that friendship and joint operations were far from utopian and the two of them started to have regular dinners together.

It was in the knowing nod of the cantina’s barkeep when she came in for a drink and how he gave her her favourite drink without her having to order anything. Hylo Visz started to make sure there always was a small crate full of chocolates at her disposal and Koth had developed a habit of putting a hot drink spiced with cinnamon in her hand when she seemed cranky. As soon as he discovered Jiune’s preference for Zeltron aroma, Dr. Oggurobb sent her a set (enclosed with a twenty-three-minute-monologue on how inspired he was by the research and how he improved on it). 

She managed to beat Lana playing cards and her surprised glee about it even made Senya smile. Senya and Koth had for once teamed up to introduce Zakuulan foods to the main crew (even though they managed to fight even over that). Jiune talked with both Senya and Koth about Zakuul - not their military or strategic points but their culture and history, trying to understand who the Zakuulan people were. Koth had a hand for introducing her to the Zakuulan refugees they took in and Senya had an amazing insight in Zakuulan traditions, making the two of them philosophize until late into the night.

And then there was Theron. While he was purely professional when they were working, not once addressing her by anything else but “Commander” and barely even taking the liberty of small gestures or touches, it was another matter when they were on their own. They were both away often enough not to spend most nights in their quarters or even with each other, but when they were they enjoyed their time together in a way she hadn’t even expected. It wasn’t the sex - well, that, too - but more importantly the time they could spend together, getting to actually know each other privately. Soon, it had become normal to see him sprawled on a couch, surrounded by datapads or watch him sleep curved into a ball - the few times she managed to wake before him. She loved watching him fiddle with his hair in the morning and recognized the signs when he started to overwork himself - the way he started squinting at the datapads, the strained lines that appeared around his mouth - and knew she could always distract him with a wild story or two or just by taking him by the hand and dragging him outside. She knew how he could relax in the open like nowhere else and he knew how she could get lost in a book. He had become familiar with the fading light and the tiny movements she made when she stopped meditating and liked to  _ bring her back to reality _ , as he called it with hands stealing over her shoulders and small kisses along her neck. They started to bring each other small tokens of affection from their regular trips: a single flower, a smooth stone, chocolates, a pressed leaf.  Theron had developed a habit of smuggling notes into her luggage, saying little wonderful things.  _ I thought of you today. - I found this on my trip to Yavin. Remember Yavin? - Come back safely. _

“You know, despite us fighting a war that could possibly destroy everything we’ve ever known and loved, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at peace like this”, Lana said one time when they were having lunch together. Jiune thought about it for a moment.

“Well, I’ve never had a home before. Not like this”, she said slowly and while she said it she knew it was true: somehow, this had become home.

“What about Tython?”

“Tython will always be a part of me, I grew up there after all. But it’s not a home I chose but was born into. And even if it was more like Odessen chose me instead of me choosing it, this is still…” she struggled for words, finally settling for: “...different. Home.” Jiune shrugged, at a loss for words, and after a second, Lana nodded with a smile. 

“I understand.”


End file.
